The Great Falls Police Department is changing the way they patrol a portion of the city. The GFPD will implement the Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS, on May 1st.

DDACTS uses location-based crime and traffic data to identify “hot spots” where reported crime and traffic incidents overlap. The patrol model, which has been implemented in other cities towns nationwide, capitalizes on the ideas that visible traffic enforcement can deter crime, which often involve motor vehicles.

All laws and city ordinances will be strictly enforced by officers patrolling the area.

Shawnee, Kansas, a city with population and officer demographics similar to Great Falls, saw a 23 percent reduction in target crimes after one year.

“It’s one of the rare opportunities we have to be proactive as a patrol officer,” Officer Katie Cunningham explained.

She said the standard patrol model is more reactive: “You get a call, you go.”

The Great Falls DDACTS zone extends from Park Drive to 15th Street (west to east) and 6th Ave. North to 6th Ave. South (north to south), which includes the downtown area.

The boundaries of existing GFPD patrol areas were redrawn to provide coverage of the rest of the city and increase officer presence in the DDACTS area.

Cunningham says the program aims to tackle quality of life issues driven by crime in an area where Great Falls residents live, work and play.

The GFPD will use a separate program aimed at reducing traffic crashes on 10th Ave. South this summer.